Supreme Court Nullifies Rivers State Local Government Election

The Supreme Court has ruled that the October 5, 2024, local government election in Rivers State, won by the All Peoples Party (APP), was unlawful, illegitimate, and void due to procedural violations by the Rivers State Electoral Commission (RSIEC).

Justice Jamilu Tukur, delivering the lead judgment, stated that the election was conducted in blatant violation of Section 150 of the Electoral Act 2022. The court found that RSIEC failed to meet key legal requirements, rendering the entire process invalid.

Prior to the election, on September 30, 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja had:

• Halted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from transferring voter registration data to RSIEC.
• Prohibited the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) from providing security for the election.

The ruling was issued by Justice Peter Lifu in response to a lawsuit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) Joseph Daudu, Sebastine Hon., and Ogwu James Onoja represented the APC in court.

Justice Lifu ruled that RSIEC violated electoral laws by:

• Failing to issue a 90-day notice before setting the election date.
• Holding elections without completing voter registration, making the process legally flawed.

As a result, the court barred INEC from granting RSIEC access to the voter register until full compliance with the law is achieved. The ruling also prohibited RSIEC from using any voter registration data obtained from INEC for the invalidated election.